Bound Southwest flight diverted after engine problem

“Especially after all was said and done and hearing how it could have been way worse than what it was”, Julie Stevens told NBC station WESH after they later landed in Orlando.

A spokesperson for Southwest said the crew of Flight #3472 made the decision to divert to Pensacola because of a mechanical issue with one of its engines.

“I thought it was an attack and that the plane was going go down”, she said.

A passenger on board the flight, who is also a Twitter user, captured the moment she and another passenger had to put on oxygen masks while in flight. “The best safety device is always a well-trained pilot”, the union wrote.

The Richards family is waiting for another flight so they can move past the turbulent start to the vacation.

The National Transportation Safety Board has begun investigating the incident and was inspecting passengers’ luggage, the woman said.

“I’m nervous, but I’m really shaken up”, Richards said. Mobile users can watch the video here.

A Southwest Airlines twin-engine jet bound for Orlando, Fla., was forced to make an emergency landing in Pensacola after one of its engines fell apart over the Gulf of Mexico.

There were no injuries to the 99 passengers and five crew members on board.

Dallas-based Southwest operates an all-737 fleet of 720 aircraft, the majority of which – some 490 – are -700s. Pensacola was the nearest airport, and the flight landed safely there shortly afterwards.

The aircraft is out of service, the airline noted, and the passengers will be taken to Orlando as soon as possible.